The present invention relates to a semiconductor device development information integrating system and particularly to one that creates and edits conditions for automated systems in semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation. The invention relates, more particularly, to a semiconductor device development information integrating system that integrates databases of design and manufacture information for setting conditions, for automated systems, to eliminate manual information interchange.
Semiconductor device design and manufacture processes are separated by the delivery of photomasks, and the automation in both have been advanced, individually. The reason for this is that the automated systems for semiconductor device design and for semiconductor device manufacture have been specialized, and the former and the latter have been generally dealt with by different vendors. Hence, information modes often differ from each other. Even vendors who deal with both may be unfamiliar with both automations. This may cause difficulties in utilizing shared information.
Recently in semiconductor device manufacture section, there has been almost attained paperless process management tables in clean rooms. On the other hand, the integration of electronic data for information interchange between semiconductor device manufacture and design sections is slow.
A description will be given of a method of information interchange among the respective sections in conventional semiconductor device development. FIGS. 16(a) and 16(b) illustrate a mode of information interchange among design, manufacture and evaluation sections in conventional semiconductor device development. In FIG. 16(a), there are shown a database 1b that stores information created at the design section, a database 2b that stores information created at the manufacture section, and a database 3b that stores information created at the evaluation section.
Referring to FIG. 16(b), an engineering workstation (EWS) 10 in the design section has a graphic terminal 10a, a memory 10b and a submemory 10c. A server 400 in the design section has a memory 400a and a submemory 400b. An EWS 20 in the manufacture section has a graphic terminal 20a, a memory 20b and a submemory 20c. A server 500 in the manufacture section has a memory 500a and a submemory 500b. 
Normally the semiconductor device development section has such a development support system as described. The development of semiconductor devices is carried out utilizing the development support system in the following manner.
The design information created at the design section is stored in the database 1b implemented on the server 400. In the design section, as required, information requisite for semiconductor device design, such as alignment creations, photomask type, i.e., normal or reverse, capacitance values, resistance values and current values, is created, set and retrieved by watching a list, e.g., papers and terminal screens, which list is retrievable from the EWS 10.
Manufacture information created at the manufacture section is stored in the database 2b implemented on the server 500. In the manufacture section, as required, information requisite for the semiconductor device manufacture, such as systems to be used, mask names, coordinates to be set on the systems, processing time and lot names, is created, set and retrieved by watching a list, e.g., papers and terminal screens, which list is retrievable from using the EWS 20.
Manufacture information created at the evaluation section is stored in the database 3b implemented on a server (not shown). In the evaluation section, as required, information requisite for the semiconductor device evaluation, such as chip names, pads, coordinate values of test element groups (TEGs), measurements of monitor TEGs during manufacture and design specifications, is created, set and retrieved by watching a list, e.g., papers and terminal screens, which list is retrievable from an EWS (not shown).
It should be noted that the databases 1b, 2b and 3b have no data link with one another. Therefore, in a case where the design section requires information possessed by the manufacture and evaluation sections, such information is printed out and then input by manual operation, thereby performing information interchange. Alternatively, the information interchange by electronic data necessitates volumes, e.g., floppy disks, as a media.
FIG. 17 shows a development process in a conventional semiconductor device development section. In step S1a, information needed in design, such as resistances, capacitances, FETs, substrates, is acquired through papers or electronic data existing separately, thereby obtaining manufacture information. In step S2, electric design is executed using the manufacture information obtained in step Sla. In step S3, mask data design is executed. In step S4, the mask making is executed. In step S5a, the design information on chip sizes, mask names, mask arriving dates, specific data areas and target performances, is acquired from papers or a separate electronic data. In step S6, the mask manufacture is executed using the design information obtained in step S5a. 
The information interchange in the semiconductor device design section of the prior art system is performed in the aforementioned manner. More specifically, in the design process of the semiconductor device development, the electric design is executed by simulators, whereas the setting of conditions for the simulators requires information from the manufacture and evaluation sections. Such information is, however, not integrated with the information of the design section. Hence, fragmental information on each semiconductor device type must be described on papers or converted into volumes or the like, followed by the respective manual setting.
As discussed above, although most of the information possessed by the design section of the semiconductor device development is electronic data, the problem attendant to interfaces persists. Thus it is necessary that the information which has been converted into papers or volumes be delivered to the manufacture section to set the data by manual operation, i.e., manual input work.
Consequently, a mere interface of the information calls for the manual work, causing a hindrance to cost reduction in semiconductor device manufacture.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device development information integrating system that realizes noticeable automation and labor saving in semiconductor device manufacture by integrating databases storing design and manufacture information.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific embodiment are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device development information integrating system comprises a semiconductor device information management system that stores and manages (i) electronic data of photomask specifications created in a semiconductor device design process and (ii) electronic data of manufacture process steps created in a semiconductor device manufacture process, as integrated semiconductor device information integrated into at lease one database; a semiconductor device design electronic terminal that issues a request to said management system to call and display said integrated semiconductor device information and, based on which information, creates and edits design data; a semiconductor device manufacture electronic terminal that issues a request to said management system to call and display said integrated semiconductor device information and, based on which information, creates and edits manufacture data; and a semiconductor device manufacture system for manufacturing the semiconductor device based on said manufacture data.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design and manufacture sections.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device development information integrating system comprises a semiconductor device information management system that integrates (i) a list produced by converting photomask specifications created in a semiconductor device design section into electronic data (ii) instructions produced by converting manufacture process steps created in a semiconductor device manufacture section into electronic data and (iii) a list produced by converting an interim evaluation in a semiconductor device manufacture process into electronic data, into at lease one database, to store and manage as integrated semiconductor device information; an electronic terminal that issues a request to said management system to call said integrated semiconductor device information, said terminal displaying said device information on a screen of said terminal as a sheet menu and a form menu, process by process and p er string/page, to create and edit data on said screen by persons of the semiconductor device design and manufacture sections; a CAD system of the semiconductor device design section, said CAD system receiving said integrated semiconductor device information when said request is issued; and a semiconductor device manufacture system receiving said integrated semiconductor device information when said request is issued.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor device development information integrating system of the second aspect has a feature that in a semiconductor device design, said CAD system acquires, from said database, (i) information on accuracies and the normal/reverse photomask type, which information being requisite for the semiconductor device manufacture section and (ii) information on the types of alignment marks and the alignment sequences of photomasks, which information being requisite for systems used in photolithographies in the semiconductor device manufacture, thereby executing patterning automatically.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the automatic patterning permits further labor saving.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device development information integrating system of the second aspect has a feature that in a semiconductor device design said CAD system acquires, from said database, process rules such as wire widths and inter-wire gaps, which rules being requisite for the semiconductor device manufacture section, to create and execute verification rules automatically.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the automatic generation of the verification rules permit further labor saving.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device development information integrating system of the second aspect has a feature that in a semiconductor device manufacture said semiconductor device manufacture system captures, from said database, information on the arriving dates of manufactured masks, the controls of mask automatic transportation systems, the designations of drawing systems, the management of the processes, the management of the processing time, the management of the progress states, numerical settings to said manufacture system according to graphic areas existing in a range designated by a specific mask, said manufacture system computing the designations of coordinates of check patterns by referring to CAD data and coordinates on a wafer after being subjected to photolithographies.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the information acquisition from the database and the coordinate designations of the check patterns thus computed permit further labor saving.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor device development information integrating system of the second aspect has a feature that in a semiconductor device design said CAD system calls, from said database, the environment in which back annotations from check data of after/during manufacture process steps to a designer is performed, process by process and systematically along with photomasks, thereby executing resimulations from the manufacture results.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the resimulations from the manufacture results permit further labor saving.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor device development information integrating system of the first or second aspect has a feature that said database registers (i) a model data for each semiconductor device type and each process step and (ii) a duplicate information between the semiconductor device design and manufacture sections as integrated information.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the integration of the duplicate information permits further labor saving.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor device development information integrating system of the second aspect has a feature that said CAD system captures thickness information of a semiconductor device, to designate the Z axis of a three dimensional CAD system and obtain device simulation information.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the information acquisition of the Z axis and the device simulation permits further labor saving.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, the semiconductor device development information integrating system of the second aspect further comprises a semiconductor device evaluation system for evaluating the semiconductor device, said evaluation system capturing the CAD information of said CAD system to designate coordinate values during on-wafer evaluation.
It is therefore unnecessary to perform manual condition settings to automated systems, leading to labor saving in the semiconductor device design, manufacture and evaluation sections. In addition, the designation of the coordinate values during on-wafer evaluation permits further labor saving.